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One For All Kameleon 6 Remote Control (UK - DVD)

One of the most useful tools in homes these days tends to be the remote control. Times have changed, lifestyles have become more h...

One of the most useful tools in homes these days tends to be the remote control. Technological advances of recent years have had a big impact on households. Times have changed, lifestyles have become more hectic, and the idea of being able to control your equipment from the sofa is an attractive proposition for many people. However, there are drawbacks to having remote controls for every piece of equipment. It can become very irritating if you lose one, and having to switch between controllers is also fiddly. One For All saw a gap in the remote control market and over the past few years they have established themselves as leaders in the ‘one controller to rule them all’ market.

The idea of having one remote to control all devices has been around for a while; I personally owned one a few years ago but it was a cheaper model and my overall impressions were not favourable. One For All have recently released their Kameleon 2nd generation remotes, and this is a review of their 6-in-1 device.

First Impressions

This 6-in-1 universal remote control is targeted at the higher end of the market, and for that reason a lot of effort has been made with presentation. For a start the box for this remote is very well presented and it is well packaged, so that no damage will take place in transit. The packaging also has a clear cover so you can get a good view of what you are buying and it doesn’t have to be a blind purchase.

This little fella may cost around £70 but it certainly looks the part! It is ergonomically designed to fit well in your hand, but it also has the stature of something which is built to last. The most impressive feature of this remote is the innovative touch activated screen with sensors which activate the electro-luminous display. As soon as your finger is near the display, the screen suddenly lights up and displays all the functions you could possibly want.

Another impressive aspect of this screen is that it changes according to your needs; for example if you press the DVD option you are prompted with various functions specific to your DVD player. For anyone who has experience of other all-in-one remotes then you will agree that this is a major plus point. This is why my previous experiences of all-in-one remotes have not been favourable; it was often confusing as to which button controlled which device, in particular when switching between equipment. The Kameleon 6 is innovative and specifies exactly what each button does.

At this point it is probably worth pointing out the different Kameleon products in this range. There are four products altogether – the 1,3,4 and 6. This 6-in-one device allows you to control TV, SAT, VCR, DVD, Audio and CD. Just to let you know what platform I tested this on, I used this remote for my Panasonic TV, Pioneer DVD player, Panasonic Satellite receiver and Denon sound system.

Aesthetics

This remote is stylishly coloured; the majority of the remote is made of chrome, while the touch screen is jet black. As you can see from the images, there are also some large buttons ideally situated right in the middle of the remote. These buttons are used for the essential functions such as changing the volume and switching channels. There are also four small buttons which can be found at the bottom of the remote, and these are particularly useful when using this remote to control your Sky receiver.

Even though this is an impressive looking remote, its design is not flawless. My biggest gripe is the fact that your every fingerprint is vividly displayed on the remote. After a few days of use, the chrome finish and black screen were covered in smudge marks. Not too much of an issue I guess, but hopefully something which can be improved upon with future models.

Powering the device are 2 x AA batteries which are not supplied with the remote. There is an optional rechargeable battery set (2 x NiMh rechargeable batteries) and charger which I wasn’t supplied with for this review. Battery consumption has been improved with this model, and the fact that the screen activates only when you need it to should ensure that batteries last longer.

Ease of Use

It’s all well and good having various functions available, but you don’t really want to have to programme the remote to do every step. Therefore the user-friendliness of this remote is of the utmost importance; you’ll be glad to hear that setting up this remote couldn’t be easier, well that’s if you have small enough fingers. To programme each device, you have to press a sequence of keys and then type in your manufacturer’s code (supplied in the instruction booklet). One of the buttons you have to press is a magic hat, which a rabbit then pops out of if you hold the button down for long enough. I had terrible problems activating this button and it got to the stage where I thought the remote was faulty. I then realised that my fingers were too large for the button and I had to use my little finger! A small annoyance but something to be aware of.

You can also programme the remote so that it auto-scans for your relevant equipment. This is really easy to do and saves you looking up the manufacturer codes. One For All guarantee that this remote will work with all equipment. There is a small clause which lists the compatible manufacturers, but even so they are taking a huge gamble with their promise. I mentioned my equipment above and I found no issues with the manufacturer codes that were supplied.

Navigating between devices is particularly easy with this remote. All of the supported devices are shown at the top of the remote, and once selected, the function keys below are changed depending on the device you have chosen. There are some hard keys which can be used for performing frequent tasks such a switching channels and turning the volume up. As well as performing the usual operations, you can also programme this remote to perform any sequence of commands using a single button. Very convenient if you are feeling particularly lethargic!

Other Functions

One For All have provided a future proof mechanism with this device; it has a built-in modem which enables you to upgrade the device with the latest manufacturer codes. The upgrade is done via the modem which can be connected by phone, or you can download using the internet. Therefore, you can buy this remote safe in the knowledge that you can use it with any future equipment you purchase.

I know I keep praising the onscreen display for this remote, but I can’t emphasise how impressive it is; an example of this is the screen brightness adjustment. This can be changed to suit the user’s needs; in particular the brightness can be adjusted to suit daylight or evening viewing.

Overall

If you are tired of having lots of remotes hanging around your living room, and want an all-encompassing remote which controls the lot without diminishing any of the functions of your equipment, then I have just the remote for you. The Kameleon 6 is an elegant device which deserves to sit proudly in your lounge. However, the £70 price tag is bound to deter many casual buyers, and for that reason only the home cinema purists may consider it.

I’ve had this device for just over two weeks; in that time I have been very impressed and have started to wonder how I managed without it! If you are toying with the idea of purchasing a one-for-all remote then I have no hesitation in recommending the Kameleon 6. It maybe pricey but it is the ultimate all-in-one remote and is worth every penny. As tacky as it sounds, this really is one remote to rule them all!

Note: If you want to find out more about the Kameleon range then click here and here

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I have now had 2 of these controls and although they are fantastic to use and look at both controls once the batteries have died on me and i have replaced them have failed to work again i dont know if it is because i left it so long to change them or possibly a fault on them but i do know i won't be buying another one as it is just too much trouble a shame such a little fault has put me off so much

Hi, I've been reading for a while but since I have one of these I thought I'd sign up and tell you what I found.

Firstly I had one of the earlier model which started going wrong about a week after I bought it - possibly because I left it on the radiator - possibly not because I found one or two other people who had the same problem. So I took it back and got this one - had it about 6 weeks now - no sign of any misbehaviour - but I haven't left it on the radiator.

My biggest gripe is the awful rocker button in the center - it regularly takes a couple attempts to push it down evenly to get the enter function - If you're slightly off it registers one of the left-right or up-down functions instead. The volume control and chanel change functions on either side can be a bit small and fiddly if you have large fingers.

I've changed the batteries once so far - seem to last about a month for me (which I think is OK)

The codes listed for LG TVs didn't work for mine but it found it using the search function which was good and the learning function means that you can program any buttons from an existing control - I used this a lot for my A/V amp.

The last model swiched on it's display when it sensed vibration, which meant when any body coughed, this one switches on when it gets a contact on the screen and the surround at the same time (completing a circuit I guess) which is a lot better.

I paid £60 from someone on the net - that was about Christmas so I reckon you'd get it cheaper by now. Sounds a lot but when the kids loose all the normal remotes as often as mine it's worth every penny.

aye the but remotes on most AV amps are rubbish. I have a Harmony remote and its the muts nuts. Much better than these all in one random remotes. Ok it wasn't cheap. But hey.. it was expensive. So it should be.

The remote on the Denon AV3805 reciever looks good tho so I'm looking forward to playing with that shortly.

Great review though. I need something like this. I have like 6 remotes. Although I'd probably go and get a Harmony remote instead.

Information

Functions::
Operates up to six devices of any brand, macro functionality enables any sequence of commands to be performed from a single button, built-in modem, touch screen with unique Electro Luminous display, hard keys for Menu operation and Channel and Volume operation and optional rechargeable battery charger.